For it was on this day in 2007 when Boro entered the race to sign Egyptian heavyweight hitman Mido and were given permission to open talks with the striker.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but how Southgate will have wished he’d turned his attention elsewhere.

Mido was a matchwinner on his day, a bundling powerhouse of a striker who was capable of giving defenders nightmares.

The problem, though, was once he was over the adrenaline-filled kissing the bad stage, usually a month - tops - he’d fall back into his old habits leaving the club eager to cash in and move him on.

Spurs were at that stage. After confirming the signing of Darren Bent, Tottenham wanted rid. And with Mido’s pedigree it was no surprise to see he wasn’t short of potential suitors.

Birmingham and Sunderland were planning to go head-to-head in a battle for the frontman, who had 43 caps for Egypt to his name at the time, but now Boro were also keen.

“Mido has apparently already agreed personal terms with both Birmingham and Sunderland, though there appears to be a stumbling block over certain clauses in the contracts,” reported the Gazette.

With Yakubu looking more and more likely to leave the club in the summer, Southgate was in need of striking reinforcements.

And goals were needed if Boro were to push into the top half of the table.

Mido had only managed to score once the season previous as he fell out of favour at Spurs after making his loan switch from Roma a permanent one.

But he’d hit 11 goals in 24 starts the prior campaign and had been prolific for Ajax early in his career.

The £6m fee was steep for a player who, at 24, had already played for five different clubs. Indeed, he’d double that tally before he retired from the game in 2013.

But after completing his move to Teesside, Mido was quick to announce his arrival on the pitch. A goal in his debut in a 2-1 win at Fulham was followed by another as Boro and Newcastle shared the spoils at the Riverside.

Unfortunately he wouldn’t hit the net again in his first season at Boro.